This invention relates to new and useful improvements in devices for skimming oil and debris from the surface of a body of water.
Various types of oil skimming devices have been conceived. As an example, my U.S. Pat. No. 4,054,525 shows a vessel that receives water and oil at its forward end upon movement of the vessel forward in the water or flow of water into the vessel. This vessel efficiently skims a controlled layer of water and oil from an oil spill and deposits the oil and water in a small compartment for separation and subsequent discharge into a storage vehicle. Other patents such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,722,688, 3,756,414 and 3,822,789 show skimming devices that employ small compartments for separating the oil from the water and discharge of the oil to a barge or the like. U.S. Pat. No. 2,876,903 shows an oil skimmer and separator vessel that skims and stores oil by depositing diffused oil into an open bottom compartment. Such vessel is capable of skimming at deep draft with minor draft adjustment.
As noted, most of the prior skimmers lack the ability to store substantially a full hold of oil and thus they need a mother vessel for frequent or continuous dumping. These small vessels generally encounter major problems in skimming and are inefficient because of their size. A skimming vessel capable of holding a large volume of skimmed oil, and debris and thus one that can add greatly to the efficiency of cleaning up an oil spill, confronts problems of stability and draft control, particularly in the open sea. This is because as the vessels fill, the draft and the stability thereof change and they are difficult to operate with any efficiency. Also, any prior device that can hold a substantial amount of skimmed oil has the disadvantage that it cannot work in shallow water areas including close to a beach.